Defying National Trend, Texas Clings to Biennial Legislature
Come January, as Texas lawmakers begin work to pass bills and tackle the yawning budget gap, they will go up against a simple but implacable barrier: time.
Texas is one of a dwindling number of states whose legislatures hold scheduled meetings only every two years. Just three other, far smaller states — Montana, North Dakota and Nevada — still have biennial legislative sessions.
For Texas legislators, the challenge will come into stark relief when they must plug a budget gap that could top $20 billion for fiscal 2012-13; the state’s general revenue funds budget for the current biennium, by comparison, is ...
Comments (9)
scooter22
the research on biennial legislatures is pretty clear: when legislators are in session only a few months every two years, you get (1) uninformed and ineffective legislators - because they are not following the issues year around and have a limited time to educate themselves and make rational decisions. (2) increased reliance on lobbyists, interest groups, and bureaucrats all of which work year around, are experts in their selected fields and possess the knowledge, experience, and understanding that legislators need and want so that they do not look stupid (well, not that stupid). Unfortunately, these groups have their own interests and policy preferences that often differ from legislators and the electorate - and if you don't think that they will try to shape the information given to legislators - you are sorely mistaken. (3) more influential political parties - not only are legislators not legislating year around, but they are also not campaigning year around (not quite) which means that they also must rely on the party to help them financially and substantively - when you leave decision making up to the party, individual legislators' districts suffer because the party is concerned about the state as a whole and legislators that rely on them are beholden to their positions, (4) policy suffers - the lack of time and information means that the few legislators with info and expertise - and the party - run the show and usually the rest of the legislature follows - they do not have the time to research, debate, hold hearings, compromise, etc. - as a result, policy change is often rare or incremental at best since legislators are normally risk averse - of course this may be different this year with such a large Republican legislature and mandate - unfortunately this gain was more about ideology and frustration than actual policy. The short answer is that for a state this size - both in geography and population - and this diverse, it is a travesty that the legislature only meets 4 months every two years. If Texas is ever going to pull itself up from the bottom on a myriad of state issues - including revenues and entitlement programs - it must get serious about dedicating the necessary time and energy to do so. As long as legislators focus primarily on their "outside" jobs and not their job in the legislature, Texas will continue to lag behind and produce ineffective legislation and encourage less qualified and thus less effective legislators to run for office.
Randall Baker via Texas Tribune on Facebook
If yours friends jump off a cliff do you do too?
Evelyn White via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Gregory, I agree. The less time they meet, the less damage they can do.
Craig A. McNeil via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I don't want these idiots in anything but a hurry.
Marshall Beerwinkle via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Amen,folks!Too bad they can't meet only once in four years.Or less.
Jeffrey Wentworth
The last time I recall that the Texas Senate seriously considered annual sessions was in 1993 when I authored SJR 42 which would have had 55-day budget sessions in even-numbered years -- and would have allowed the Legislature to repeal laws and consider emergencies referred to us by the Governor. I had four other senators join me as primary authors as well as 18 additional senators join us as co-authors. While SJR 42 passed the Senate, it died in the House of Representatives due principally to the opposition to it by then-Speaker Pete Laney who believed that annual sessions would result in Texas' spending more money as a result. Because I have come around to the view that biennial sessions, coupled with members in both chambers sitting all over the floor instead of being divided by an aisle, and the custom of the Lt. Governor and Speaker appointing members of both political parties to chair standing committees have created an environment for the least partisan and most bipartisan legislature of the 50 states, I have not since 1993 attempted again to pass this resolution.
Ed Covington via Texas Tribune on Facebook
this is a protection for the people, the less time these idiots we elect spend in session, the safer we all are...
Laura Dapkus via Texas Tribune on Facebook
California has both a full-time legislature AND a ballot initiative process, and look what it's done for them? No thanks.
Robert Domitz
Mark Twain said it best:
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."
The Federal government cannot jam the change-of-the-day down the throats of a short-session biennial legislature. They have to wait until the Legislature meets. This gives our legislators time to review, discuss with colleagues and constituents, review the implications of Federal demands before the Legislature meets and make a reasoned decision to either embrace or reject the Federal demand.